Jharkhand High Court seeks teachers’ appointment details from JSSC

The High Court has issued important orders regarding the shortage of teachers in Jharkhand. The High Court has directed the chairman of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) to inform the court about the appointment process of the initial batch of 26,000 school teachers, when it will start and end.

The hearing is taking place in clarification of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed last year, which raised the issue of acute shortage of teachers in Jharkhand. According to data from the Integrated District Information System for Education (UDISE), Jharkhand has the highest shortage of teachers. More than 30% of government primary schools have only one teacher working.

According to the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, it is mandatory to have at least two teachers in every school and at least one teacher per 30 children. Most primary and upper primary schools in Jharkhand are not able to meet these norms. This problem is increasing every year, as no new school teachers have been appointed since 2016.

In response to the petition, the Jharkhand government submitted an affidavit in the High Court on April 2, 2025. The affidavit did not refute the facts presented by the petitioners. It only assured “fair, transparent and timely” appointment of 26,000 teachers, without specifying any timelines.

The High Court hearing is expected to clarify the timelines for the appointments soon as the JSSC issues the matter. But the solution to the problem is not limited to this, as compliance with the Right to Education Act will require more than 26,000 additional school teachers. UDISE data shows that more than 60,000 additional teachers are needed to comply with this law at the primary level alone. The next hearing of the case will be on April 16.